The #TourChronicles Ft. Satori

Smack dab in the middle of his North American tour, we caught up with Dutch producer Satori for another edition of the #TourChronicles. Having already performed in Montreal, Washington and Mexico City, Satori looks ahead to many more shows, which will see him bring his thought-provoking sound from coast to coast. Playing a combination of solo shows and performances with his live band Satori & The Band From Space, what makes this tour truly special is the addition of his ‘Maktub’ series. On November 9, Satori will unveil ‘Maktub’ in North America for the very first time.

“Maktub” he tells us, “is described best as a cinematic experience curated by myself. I play an extended live set and I’m accompanied by an amazing visual artist.” The highly-anticipated debut will take place at SBCLTR in Los Angeles, with follow-up performances in San Francisco and New York. So without further ado, we give you the #TourChronicles with Satori!

The biggest myth about ‘life on tour’ is…

I think the biggest myth is that you get to experience every place you visit. Sometimes you have an extra day to explore, but usually the only thing I see is the airport, the drive to the venue and the hotel. So I don’t get to see as much as I would like.

One of your worst airport experiences was…

I think my worst experience was one time where I had a 13 hour delay, but every time the delay would be extended by 30 minutes, so I was waiting at the airport and not really able to go anywhere else, or to go back to the hotel. The airline was really not communicating anything so one big shit show. My advice for this is, never fly with Vueling.

The best airport for a long lay-over is…

I have a few favourite airports, of course my base airport which is Schiphol Amsterdam is amazing. But I really love Atlanta airport! I call it swaglanta, because the people are so friendly and have a lot of swag. It feels like you’re in the middle of a hip hop music video.

Name one new city that you haven’t played, but are looking forward to visiting on this tour…

The new cities on this tour are Denver and Chicago. Both are cities that I’ve wanted to visit for a long time, so I look forward to exploring it a bit.

One of your favuorite venues in the world to play is… why?

I think my all time favourite venue is in Oaxaca (Mexico), where I played for the day of the dead. This party was in the middle of nowhere in a beautiful ruin of an old church. The setting and the magic of this night makes it one of the most epic experiences I’ve had.

This hotel has the BEST food/ room service…

Recently I was in a hotel in Zurich and they had a Lebanese Isreali fusion kitchen. In terms of food these countries are in peace with each other.

What is on your rider?

My rider is really simple, I don’t really care about having blue m&m’s or having a fresh fruit platter available. The main focus is the technical part so that I’m able to give the best possible performance.

Tell us about your new ‘Maktub’ series, which you’ll be debuting in LA on November 9…

This is my new concept which we premiered at Heart in Ibiza last September. Now, we are bringing it to the USA for the first time. The concept is described best as a cinematic experience curated by myself. I play an extended live set and I’m accompanied by an amazing visual artist.

Photo: Apostolos Zygouris

Tell us one of your favourite experiences with an opening or closing DJ.

On one of the nights that I was hosting in Ibiza I became really ill, so the warm up artist, which is a good friend from Paris named Sora, ended up doing the warm up, prime time and closing set. The day after I received many messages of people who fell in love with his music and performance.

Your favourite city to after-party in is…

I don’t really do after party’s, I like to focus on the performance and hopefully to catch a bit of sleep before I go to the next country/show.

One of my favourite promoters to work with is…

This question is too dangerous to answer! I have many favourites and am lucky to have really good relationships with the people I work with. However, listing them up would bring the risk of leaving someone out. The great thing is, that most promoters have booked me again in the future, so we really grow together and in some places we really get to create a scene together.

The last best meal I had on tour…

Was El Cardenal in Mexico City with my band, my manager and a few really dear friends. This place is beautiful and the food is amazing, it’s kind of traditional Mexican food in a classic setting. And to be able to share that with a big group of friends is for me super rewarding.

My #1 goal for this tour is…

To have three really successful Maktub nights in the US.

“Life on tour” has taught you…

How beautiful my hometown is. Travelling gives you an insight into many cultures and ways of life. I noticed that the more I went to different places, the more I fell in love with my hometown Nijmegen. I am in love with the nature and the quiet that I find there. On a bigger level, I’m proud to be Dutch and live in a country with an amazing social system where you can grow up kind of problem free, no matter what walk of life you are from. On top of that I feel like the Dutch people are socially very advanced so you feel very free in Holland.

Nijmegen, Netherlands

The first thing I’m going to do when I return home from this tour is…

By then, it’s winter so I look forward to have a walk through the forest of my town while it’s cold. In the middle of the forest there is a little pancake house which is perfect for warming up and enjoying the beauty. I like to do these walks with my parents and besides that I ordered an electronic, so I’m going to be cruising around in the area.